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It's not hard to use an open, public application process to fill government jobs and contracted positions. But it is extremely difficult for government officials to concoct a plausible explanation for not doing so. So, Dunmore's borough council members uniformly are tongue-tied about their decision to hire or contract with one of their own for a $90,000-a-year job managing the borough.

That's unfortunate because there is much to explain, beginning with creating a $90,000 job for a council insider two years after firing, for financial reasons, the borough manager who was paid about half as much.

Council voted 5-0 last week to appoint Vito Ruggiero to what was then described as a contracted position. Mr. Ruggiero resigned from council to accept the job.

Council President Salvatore Verrastro complained to Kyle Wind of The Times-Tribune that the matter has been "blown out of proportion," but declined to comment further. Thus, the question, "out of proportion to what, and how so?" remains unanswered. All of the other council members, the borough solicitor and Mr. Ruggierio did not respond to Mr. Wind's requests for comment.

There has been some discussion about whether the position is a borough job or a contracted position, which might make some difference regarding the council's legal obligations but makes no difference as a practical matter. If it's a borough job, it should be advertised. If it's a contracted position, the borough should seek bids as a matter of transparency and policy in the public interest.

But doing so would not keep hiring "in proportion," that is, as a matter of political inside baseball rather than of transparent public policy.

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